What Does It Mean to Be an Ethical Manager - Literature review Example

EFFECTIVE MANAGERIAL WORK: What does it mean to be an ethical manager? Essay Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Title Date While an organization can strive to make the workplace as ideal as possible, there still abide many challenges at the workplace. This because under any circumstances that people get to interact, there will always exist challenges. The first major challenge that is experienced in the workplace is that of employee interaction (Schemerhorm et al, 2011). Under normal circumstances whenever two people with different personalities are working in the same environment, there is going to be some friction between the two persons. The pressure that emanate from the tight deadlines that are associated with the tasks being handled by the different employees may mount pressure on the employee making them to have flare ups from time to time. Arit (2001) argues that it is theoretically it is possible for people to get along but when it comes to real life individuals will always have problems when interacting. The problem can however be addressed by the introduction of some form of training that allows the employees to be able to manage work stress and be able to get along better. Another issue that arises in the workplace is that of handling customers and other stakeholders in the business. In most cases a majority of the customers will be respectful and polite when getting services from the business. However there exists a crop of people who struggle with good manners and who are very difficult to handle. These people when they show up at a business premise looking for services are usually difficult to handle. They create all manner of confusion with their unrealistic demands. This can lead to the frustration of the managers and the employees of the company and hence pose a very major challenge when it comes to the delivery of services or the offering of goods (Arit, 2001). The idea that the customer is always right is good to follow but it is also of essence to help the employees to acquire some wit when it comes to handling certain types of clients. In my view the issue of handling difficult client’s posses the biggest challenge in the workplace. When handling such type of clients can lead to the loss of motivation for the workforce of the organization since it is very demoralizing to offer the best of service to a customer and then realize that they do not appreciate the efforts made at all (Arit, 2001). In conclusion, it is impotant to note that as a result of the demoralized workforce, the outputs of the organization decrease and hence lead to losses in the organization. To try and motivate the staff may also prove to be a costly affair for the business owners since they must have to pay for counseling sessions and holiday trips to try and re-motivate the employees (Arit, 2001). The worst case scenario is where the company ends up losing some of its best employees once they lack motivation. It is usually very hard to get replacements for good and very committed employee and hence the business suffers a great loss when this happens. The problem can however be lessened by ensuring that the employees are made aware of the clients they will be serving and how to react to the situations that emanate when offering services to the clients. The management process is basically a process that endeavors to ensure that all the activities of the organization are well planned for and controlled to ensure that they take place in the desired sequence and meet the desired objectives. In many organizations, this task is left to the senior management team who work hand in hand with the project managers of the particular projects (Gomez, 2008). The process involves planning, organizing the activities of the institution, offering leadership and controlling the affairs of the institution. As a manager one has to ensure that they strike the balance between the capabilities of their organization and the demands in the market that the business operates in. The initial phase of the process lays the basis by defining the particular business and its mission. The second phase the managers are supposed to organize the activities of the firm and evaluate it regularly using the SWOT model of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and the threats that face the business (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). The managers are then tasked with the part of formulating the actual strategies and offering leadership as to which course of action to be taken so as to ensure that the institution meets its objectives as planned. The definition of the business can be equated to the identification of the particular terrain in which the business will operate. The vision and mission statement then serves to show the direction in which the company intends to move and hence the management process involves the control of all activities to ensure that these are all acheived. According to Kim and Quinn (2000), the social learning theory has been found to be one of the most successful ways of enabling individuals to develop management skills. Here the approach is that of integrating the conceptual knowledge with other opportunities in practice. The mode is heavily reliant on the cognitive work and behavioural aspects of each individual. Variations in the approach have been applied widely in teaching in the context of on-job training programs. The model basically follows various steps which include the presentation of principles of behaviour and actions. This is followed with the demonstration of principles using case studies and incidents. The learners are then given an opportunity to role play so that they are able to get a hands-on experience of the situation on the ground. After the role play the learners have a session to get feedback from the experts and other peers on their performance (Gomez, 2008). This acts as the best way of evaluating the process and their knowledge giving them an opportunity to learn the areas they need to work on. To effectivelly inculcate management skills the behavioural principles have to be grounded on a social science and other reliable results from research. For the learning to take place effectively it is important to apply knowledge that is scientifically based. It is important that an individual made aware of the current skill level so that they are motivated fully from the model. Many organizations ensure that they provide periodic evaluation in order to assess the management team and enable them to improve. The inclusion of application in the process is very important (Kimm & Quinn, 2000). This is because usually management learning takes place in a classroom setting and hence causes problematic issues when it comes to application of the skill. With the application process which takes place in outside the classroom setting the learner gets to apply their skills. A manager is an individual who heads an organization and acts as an authority figure in the organization he/she works with. The position comes with the responsibility of having to oversee all the operations of the organization (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). There are different levels of management in any organization as discussed below. Each level of management has different roles when compared to the others. The senior most level consists or the top management includes the board of directors, the managing director or the chief executive officer. The nature of their managerial work is different as compared to other of the different levels. The members of the top management act as the ultimate authority of the organization and it is charged with the implementation of the policies of the entire organization. The top management is also tasked with the role of issuing instructions and directives on preparation of the budgets of the institution. The managers at this level are responsible for appointing and making recommendations on the individuals to fill the positions of the department heads. These managers are also the point of contact between the organization and the outside world. These managers represent the face of the organization that the world sees (Russel, 2011). Another role that these managers play is being answerable to the shareholders regarding the performance of the entire organization. These managers are supposed to create investor confidence. The next level of management includes the middle level management. Here there exist the branch managers and also department managers. When one observes closely there is a change in the nature of managerial work. These answers to the top management as regards to the functions of their department. This level of management can be further subdivided into senior and also junior levels as it is in most big organizations. This level of management is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the departmental work is done in accordance to the top management’s directions (Russel, 2011). They are also charged with the responsibility of making plans and submitting the same to the top management. The managers at this level obtain reports from the lower level managers and after this they compile the report then present it to the top managers. They are supposed to offer inspiration and at the same time monitor the lower level managers and others working in their departments (Kim & Quinn, 2000). The lowest level of management includes the supervisors who are also called the operative management level. This level there are foremen, superintendents and section officers. As with the other levels of management, here there is a change of managerial work which is what distinguishes these managers from the other levels. They are charged with the oversight and direct supervision of employees. They control and give directions to ensure that the functions of management and hence assign jobs to workers depending on their abilities. The supervisors are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the members of their teams are well trained and that they have all the materials and tools that are necessary to enable them to do their job (Gomez, 2008). The managers at the lowest level are also charged with the responsibility of writing periodical reports on the performance of their teams. At this level the managers also have the duties of ensuring that they resolve disputes among the members of their units so as to ensure that there is harmony in the group workings. In conclusion, it is important to note the outcomes of any organization depends on how effective a manager is in his work. It is also the manager who plays a key role in ensuring that the goals of organization are well attained. It can be concluded that the nature of their managerial work is different as compared to other of the different levels. However, the manager should be able to work coherently with other people in different levels for effective service delivery and accomplishment of set goals. Ethical behaviour is basically a group of interrelated actions guided by a set of principles which determine what is helpful or harmful to those that we share interests or exist in the same environment with (Suk, 2011). The major issues that surround ethical behaviour are that most people tend to mistake it with someone behaving in a manner that is in line with social norm, religious beliefs and the existing law. If narrowed down, the term ethical behaviour rightly refers to the moral principles that are shared among members of a particular group. The field of ethical behaviour has been divided into what is referred to as normative ethics which involves what can be referred to as a way of determining the rightness as well as the wrongness of an individual (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). There is also the other aspect which includes trying to understand of what one refers to when they talk about right or wrong. When it comes to the business environment ethical behaviour involves the application of the principles of fairness and honesty when dealing with the customers and the coworkers. Ethical behaviour has many benefits when well applied in an organization. For it to take root well and be part of the organization, the practice of ethical conduct and behavior needs to be inculcated into the organization's culture (Suk, 2011). One of the benefits of ethical behaviour is that the organization is able to establish customer loyalty and hence make these customers come back for more services/goods. This because the company’s reputation of ethical behaviour goes a long way in enabling it to create a positive image in the market that it operates. On the other hand a company with a reputation of being unethical will keep losing customers. Adherence to ethical behaviour also enables an organization to be able to retain talented individuals. Many employees who are hard working prefer working in an organization where they are given recognition for their work based on their performance and not favours (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). Having a management team that shares the truth with the employees fosters a good relationship. When members of an organization adhere to ethical behaviour they develop positive relations with their colleagues. This creates confidence among the employees and their supervisors and this makes the working environment to be a positive one which fosters organization growth. An organisation which is committed to adhering to ethical behaviour, will always be on the good side of the law. Many managers are always tempted to follow shortcuts as they pursue more profits. These include activities such as failing to comply with the labour laws. This attracts huge penalties once the organization is caught by the law enforcement officers. This results in negative consequences (Koesternbaum, 2000). For the organisaiton that uphold ethical behaviour, they take time to train all the members so that they can be able ensure that all the employees are aware of the behaviour that is expected of them. Ethical behaviour on the part of all employees is an integral to ensure business growth. It plays a vital role in the establishment of better relationships with customers and other business partners. To ensure that ethical standards are set in the workplace, there is the need to provide guidance and ensure that the employees always choose the right thing (Suk, 2011). One of the major ways through which ethical behaviour can be inculcated in an organization is by the way of providing very clear guidelines on some common ethical dilemmas ranging from the use of telephone at work to the utilization of the company software for one’s personal issues (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). This way the employees are going to be encouraged to make the right decision and for the sole benefit of the company. Once this form of confidence is inculcated in them, they will be able to master courage to come forward in instances where they notice that their colleagues are engaging in unethical behaviour. The company programs that should also establish programs that will help the employee to be able discern what sorts of practices are expected of them (Bloom, 2007). Another effective way of ensuring that employees adopt ethical behaviour is by way of establishing a culture that encourages and upholds the value of ethical behaviour. According to Syverson (2004), an organization should place an emphasis on doing the right thing and desist from the practice of benchmarking achievements just by looking at the profits. This will make the employees to follow suit and also behave in an ethical way. Coprations can establish a system rewarding employees for their ethical behaviour. The best way of establishing a culture of ethical behaviour in the workplace is by the way of setting standards. This places the role entirely on the leadership of the organization. The managers are tasked with the responsibility of setting the tone of the expected ethical behaviour and related actions in the workplace (Schemerhorn et al, 2011). The actions of the organisation's leadership steer the departments towards proper and what can be termed as acceptable business practices. The management team should also be at hand to offer guidance which will enable the employee to overcome ethical dilemmas that face them on a daily basis in their workplace. When the management team takes a centre staged role in the of ensuring that ethical behaviour is the order of the day in the organization, they will be in touch with the employees and hence be able to offer some motivation to enable them to do the right things (Betrand & Antoinette, 2003). The role of the which is to ensure that the organization remains on the right path of growth also incorporates the idea of enforcing rules, offering guidelines and ensuring policy implementation in the workplace (Syverson, 2004). Since the managers are involved in the hiring process, they are tasked with the role of ensuring that they hire people of integrity and not hesitate to take action against any employee who fails to adhere to the organisation’s culture of ethical behaviour. This is an easy and more realiable way of ensuring that ethical beahviour is adhered to in the organization. References Arit, G 2001, Frontline Action, Harvard Business Review, p. 74. Bertrand, M., & Antoinette, S 2003, Managing with Style: The Effect of Managers on Firm Policies, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), p. 1169–1208. Bloom, N 2007, “Measuring and Explaining Management Practices Across Firms and Countries”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(4), p. 1341–1408. Gomez, L et al., 2008, Management: People, Performance and Change, New York, McGraw-Hill. Kim, S & Quinn, E 2000, Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. Koestenbaum, P 2000, Do you have the will to lead? Fast Company, 3(5), pp. 222-230. Russell, D 2011, Accountability in succeeding in the project management jungle: How to manage the people side of projects, New York, AMACOM. Schemerhorn, J. et al. 2011, Management Foundations and Applications, Milton, Wiley. Suk. K 2011, Value and Virtue in Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective, Palgrave, Macmillan. Syverson, C 2004, “Market Structure and Productivity: A Concrete Example.” Journal of Political Economy, 112(6), p. 1181–1222. Read More